1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 300 600 Florence continues the series on&amp;nbsp;the life of Paul, looking at Paul the church planter and the establishment of the first Christian church in Europe at Philippi in Acts 16. She begins with an illustration from gardening. Artificial flowers may look convincing, but an artificial church cannot produce real spiritual life. Church planting requires genuine believers committed to Christ’s command to make disciples. Florence describes this as cross-shaped living: a vertical relationship with God combined with a horizontal concern for other people. Paul originally planned to preach elsewhere in Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit repeatedly closed doors. After Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for help, the missionary team immediately travelled to Philippi. Florence’s first lesson is therefore to heed the Holy Spirit. A closed door may be God redirecting us towards something he has prepared. At Philippi, Paul meets a group of women praying beside the river. Among them is Lydia, a successful businesswoman. As Paul speaks about Jesus, “the Lord opened her heart” to respond. Florence emphasises both God’s work and human responsibility: God opened Lydia’s heart, but Paul faithfully spoke the message. Lydia and her household are baptised, and her new faith immediately produces hospitality. The second lesson is to pray for open hearts whenever the gospel is proclaimed. The story then changes dramatically. Paul encounters an enslaved girl whose owners profit from her fortune-telling. Although her words about Paul sound truthful, Florence explains that their religious context could misrepresent the God Paul preached. Paul commands the spirit to leave her in the name of Jesus. This leads to the third lesson: exercise discernment, looking beneath appearances to distinguish truth from error. Because the girl’s owners have lost their source of income, they turn against Paul and Silas. The missionaries are beaten without trial and thrown into prison. Florence reminds Christians not to be surprised by opposition when faithfully following Jesus. Yet at midnight Paul and Silas are not complaining — they are praying and singing praises to God. An earthquake shakes the prison, the doors open and everyone’s chains fall loose. Florence’s fifth lesson is to continue in prayer and praise even, and especially, in difficult circumstances. Habits of prayer formed in good times help sustain us in bad times. The terrified jailer then asks one of life’s most important questions: “What must I do to be saved?” Paul replies, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Florence explains that genuine belief includes repentance — turning from an old life of unbelief towards a new life of trust and obedience. The jailer and his household believe, are baptised, and begin caring for Paul and Silas. Lydia and the jailer come from very different backgrounds, but both demonstrate the same cross-shaped life: faith towards God and practical love towards others. Finally, before Paul and Silas leave Philippi, they visit the growing church at Lydia’s house and encourage the believers. Florence’s final challenge is simple: resolve to encourage other people in the church — and then actually do it. &amp;nbsp; 0:00 Artificial Flowers and a Real Church 2:18 Paul the Church Planter 4:22 Redirected by the Holy Spirit 8:44 Lydia and the First Converts in Europe 14:54 The Slave Girl and Spiritual Discernment 18:31 Opposition, Beating and Imprisonment 22:17 Prayer, Praise and the Prison Earthquake 27:07 The Philippian Jailer 32:49 Believe in the Lord Jesus and Be Saved 35:03 A Growing Church and the Power of Encouragement &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship http://www.aberdeencf.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/43046933/height/300/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="300" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/43046933